Heartland Verses
General Info
Year: 2019
Duration: c. 11:00
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Oakdale Road Music, through Murphy Music Press
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $125.00 | Score Only (print) - $30.00
Movements
1. Flow, blue – 7:00
2. the dust of his wings – 3:35
Instrumentation
Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II
Trombone I-II
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Piano
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV-V, including:
- Bass Drums (large and small)
- Cabasa
- China Cymbals
- Crash Cymbals
- Crotales
- Egg Shaker
- Glockenspiel
- Hi-Hat
- Maracas (large and small)
- Marimba
- Sizzle Cymbal
- Slapstick
- Sleigh Bells
- Splash Cymbal
- Suspended Cymbal
- Tambourine
- Tam-tam (medium)
- Timbales
- Triangles (large and medium)
- Vibraphone
- Vibra-slap
- Wood Blocks (large and medium)
Errata
In Parts:
- Flutes, mvt. 1, m.1-14: One player per part
- Flutes, mvt. 1, m,119-120: Play down 8va (C5)*Euphonium, mvt. 1, m.27: first note (E-flat) change to dotted half; second note (F) change to half
- Tenor Saxophone, mvt. 1, m.90: Change to C#
- Bassoon, Bass Clarinet, Euphonium, Tuba, mvt. 1, m. 90 & 95: Add accents to eighth notes
Program Notes
Heartland Verses is a two-movement composition based on the works of lowa native and U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser. The first movement, Flow, blue is based on a short poem that describes the patterns of the China plates owned by the author's aunt. The raspy sound of shakers and maracas interact with a simple tune to portray the old woman who is both weathered and sweetened by her many years.
In the dust of his wings, a species of moth is cited that will drink from the tears of sleeping animals. Kooser's beautiful poem describes the sleeper and the insect as conversing through dreams and awakening renewed at the dawn. A nervous and darting motive is accompanied by the fluttering of wings (snare drum with brushes) as the melody from the first movement is transformed into a bright and optimistic conclusion.
This work was commissioned by ten university and high school band programs from the state of lowa led by Myron Peterson, past president of the lowa Bandmasters Association. This work is dedicated to my high school English teacher Mrs. Fischer who knew that I loved poetry almost as much as music.
- Program Note by composer
Media
State Ratings
- Iowa: IV
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- West Des Moines (Iowa) Valley High School Band (Josh Maymire, conductor) – 17 October 2019 *Premiere Performance*
Works for Winds by This Composer
Adaptable Music
- Lookfar (Adaptable Band) (2020)
- March Tumbao (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- Menlo Park, 1879 (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- Zephyrus (Flex instrumentation) (2019)
All Wind Works
- All Dark Is Now No More (2014)
- Auto '66 (2011)
- Big Four on the River (2014)
- Bright Window (2005)
- Codex Gigas. See: Symphony No. 1
- Dymaxion (2021)
- Flying Jewels (2021)
- From the Shaken Tower: Symphony for Percussion and Winds (2014)
- Ghosts of the Old Year (2016)
- Heartland Verses (2019)
- I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold (2017)
- Lookfar (Adaptable Band) (2020)
- March Tumbao (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- Menlo Park, 1879 (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
- Message from Arecibo (2023)
- Octarine Spark (2009)
- Pavillons en L'Air (2009)
- Sinfonietta No 1 (2004)
- Sinfonietta No 3: "Strange and Mysterious Waters" (2010)
- Swing Landscape (2018)
- Symphony No. 1 (2020)
- Tesseract (2023)
- Troublesome Fire (2022)
- Two-Lane Blacktop (2013)
- Urban Light (2021)
- With Soul Serene (2019)
- Zephyrus (Flex instrumentation) (2019)
Resources
- James M. David website Accessed 4 September 2021
- Peterson, Myron. "A Concise Conductor's Analysis of James M. David's Heartland Verses for Wind Symphony." NBA Journal, Summer 2021, pp. 53-59.
- Perusal score